The present invention relates to a method of detecting, in an environment of the kind causing a charge current to vary, the full-charge condition of a secondary battery by integrating the amount of charge current with a microcomputer, and a charging device for practicing the same.
It has been customary with a secondary battery to detect a full-charge condition on the basis of the drop of a battery voltage by .DELTA. V or an integrated amount of charge detected by a microcomputer. The integrated amount of charge is used in an environment of the kind causing the charge current to vary.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 8-98425, for example, teaches a charging system determining the full-charge condition of a secondary battery on the basis of the voltage of a charging power source. With this charging system, it is possible to insure required voltage accuracy even when the voltage of the power source is not accurately adjusted.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 7-99738 discloses a charging method to be practiced when a constant charge current flows. Specifically, when battery temperature rises above a preselected threshold during rapid charging needing a great current, a charge current is fed in the form of pulses. This, coupled with an endothermic reaction particular to a nickel-hydrogen battery and occurring during discharge, causes partial discharge to occur and thereby reduces the elevation of battery temperature. Such a method prevents the charging efficiency from falling when temperature is high, thereby promoting sure charging.
However, it is difficult with any one of the conventional methods to integrate the charge current when the charge current varies irregularly, particularly when it falls. This obstructs the accurate detection of a full-charge condition. The problem with secondary batteries in general is that a charge capacity input to a battery varies in accordance with the size of a charge current, battery temperature, and a difference between the current charge condition and the full-charge condition. The variation of the charge capacity is extremely difficult to grasp as an integrated amount of current. Particularly, when a charge current is short due to high temperature, the charging efficiency noticeably falls and makes it extremely complicated and difficult to accurately calculate the amount of current actually input to a battery by integration. As a result, it is likely that overcharge occurs or that a condition short of a full-charge condition is determined to be a full-charge condition.
Technologies relating to the present invention are also disclosed in, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 4-87528